Scotland bank holidays
Scotland has nine bank holidays in a normal year and its own calendar. It keeps 2 January and St Andrew's Day, has its summer holiday in early August and leaves out Easter Monday.
Scotland has 10 bank holidays in 2026, 9 bank holidays in 2027, 9 bank holidays in 2028.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | New Year's Day | |
| Friday | 2nd January | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday | World Cup bank holidayOne-offScotland men's team qualifying for the FIFA World Cup finals | |
| Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| Monday | St Andrew's DayNext | |
| Friday | Christmas Day | |
| Monday | Boxing DaySubstitute day |
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | New Year's Day | |
| Monday | 2nd JanuarySubstitute day | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| Tuesday | St Andrew's Day | |
| Monday | Christmas DaySubstitute day | |
| Tuesday | Boxing DaySubstitute day |
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | New Year's DaySubstitute day | |
| Tuesday | 2nd JanuarySubstitute day | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| Thursday | St Andrew's Day | |
| Monday | Christmas Day | |
| Tuesday | Boxing Day |
Dates follow the official GOV.UK bank holiday list where published. Later years are calculated from the statutory rules and can change if a holiday is added or moved by royal proclamation.
Which months have a bank holiday this year, and which have none.
Scotland has a second New Year bank holiday, a nod to the importance of Hogmanay.
The Summer bank holiday is the first Monday in August, not the last.
30 November has been a bank holiday since 2007, though neither banks nor employers have to observe it.
Good Friday is a bank holiday, but Easter Monday is not on the national list.
Local public holidays are set by each council and are not bank holidays. These are the usual patterns for the two largest cities, with the next date each one gives. Councils confirm their dates every year, so check before you rely on them.
| City | Local holiday | Usual pattern | Next expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | Glasgow Fair Monday | Third Monday in July | |
| Glasgow | September weekend | Last Monday in September | |
| Edinburgh | Spring holiday | Third Monday in April | |
| Edinburgh | Victoria Day | Monday on or before 24 May | |
| Edinburgh | Autumn holiday | Third Monday in September |
Every council publishes its own list: see mygov.scot, Glasgow City Council and the City of Edinburgh Council.
Scotland had a one-off bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026, appointed by royal proclamation after the men's national football team qualified for the World Cup finals. It is the reason Scotland has ten bank holidays in 2026 instead of nine.
Like any Scottish bank holiday it did not oblige anyone to close, so councils and employers each decided whether to observe it. It does not repeat. See every extra bank holiday.
Scotland has two layers of public holiday. Bank holidays are national and are the dates on this page. Local public holidays are set by each council and differ from town to town.
In everyday life the local holidays often matter more. Your office or school may be open on a bank holiday and closed on a local one, so check with your council or employer as well as the list here.
Sometimes. The Scottish Government points out that banks in Scotland do not always close on Scottish bank holidays, and that no law requires banks or any other business to close.
So a Scottish bank holiday is not a guarantee that your branch is shut. Check its opening hours, especially on Scotland-only days such as St Andrew's Day.
Scotland's list is written separately into the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, and bank holidays are now devolved. Historically New Year mattered more than Christmas, which is why 1 and 2 January are both holidays and why Boxing Day only joined the Scottish list in 1974.
The summer bank holiday is on the first Monday in August because that was the original date for the whole UK. England, Wales and Northern Ireland moved theirs to the end of the month; Scotland kept it.
When 1 or 2 January falls on a weekend, the holidays move to the next weekdays. If New Year's Day is a Saturday, for example, the bank holidays are taken on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 January.
St Andrew's Day moves to the following Monday when 30 November is a Saturday or Sunday, and Christmas Day and Boxing Day follow the same substitute rules as the rest of the UK.
Bank holidays are filled in green.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
The next bank holiday in Scotland is St Andrew's Day on Monday 30 November 2026.
Scotland has 10 bank holidays in 2026. A normal year has nine.
No. Today is not a bank holiday in Scotland.
No. The coming Monday, 19 October, is not a bank holiday in Scotland.
Yes. Good Friday is a bank holiday in Scotland.
No. Easter Monday is not a national bank holiday in Scotland, although some councils and employers treat it as a local holiday.
Scotland's Summer bank holiday is on Monday 3 August 2026, the first Monday in August.
Yes; in 2026 it is observed on 30 November. It has been a bank holiday since 2007, but employers are not required to give staff the day off.
No. The September weekend is a local public holiday in Glasgow and some other areas, set by councils. It is not a national bank holiday.
Glasgow Fair Monday is usually the third Monday in July. It is a local holiday in Glasgow, not a bank holiday, and the date is confirmed by the council each year.
It was a one-off bank holiday to mark the men's national football team qualifying for the World Cup finals. It applied in Scotland only.
New Year has long been Scotland's main midwinter celebration. The second day is written into the bank holiday legislation and has applied since 1973.
No. There is no statutory right to time off or extra pay on a bank holiday in Scotland. Your contract sets the rule, and an employer can count bank holidays as part of the 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave.